Action Time-Management game pushes no technology envelope at all​

HONG KONG – August 26, 2011: Outblaze and Animoca today launched Hospital Story, a retro-style, simulated 8-bit action time-management game for Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad that debuted in 9th place on Apple’s Top Free iPhone Games Apps list. With blocky graphics and crisp chiptune-inspired music that will be familiar to fans of the 8-bit era, the game puts players in charge of a gorgeously pixelated medical institution. Hospital Story is available free of charge on the App Store at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id444653492?mt=8.

When an unspecified epidemic strikes the unnamed city, it is up to the player to manage an underfunded, resource-strapped hospital before it is swarmed by blocky-looking patients in need of medical attention. Players of Hospital Story must determine patient priorities and arrange prompt treatment in a highly challenging time-management game presented in stunning simulated 8-bit graphics and lush beep-filled synthesizer audio to recreate the feeling of playing a videogame in the 1980s. Players control the hospital’s resources to strategically upgrade medical equipment or hire more nurses and doctors to cope with the ever-increasing number of patients.

“We took great care when making Hospital Story to avoid pushing the technology envelope,” said Philip Lau, producer for Hospital Story. “We did not want to get the most out of modern hardware or come across as revolutionary. Fortunately we found that the iPhone’s standard 480x320 pixel layout was able to simulate much lower resolutions from the 8-bit gaming era. This game goes out to anyone who remembers the Commodore 64, NES, Atari computers and consoles, and even the Intellivision.”

Hospital Story is free to download and play. Optional in-game upgrades can be bought with Medi Points, which are purchased with real money and earned in-game. Download Hospital Story now free of charge from Apple’s App Store at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id444653492?mt=8.

The Hospital Story trailer may be viewed at http://youtu.be/8xOy8zfiUJY.

Hospital Story is the latest smart phone title published by Animoca, which also publishes popular game apps like Pretty Pet Salon and My Pet Cuby. Animoca apps have been downloaded over 25 million times since January 2011.

About Outblaze

Outblaze is a private company established in 1998 in Hong Kong, with offices in the USA, Hong Kong, China, South Korea and the Philippines. Originally a pioneer of multilingual communication services for online communities, Outblaze and its partners today develop and offer a broad variety of products and services in digital media and entertainment, including smart phone games and apps, massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), games and game engines for various platforms and formats, virtual community services, online transaction systems, social network gaming, and web communication services. For more information please visit www.outblaze.com.

About Animoca

Animoca is a cross-platform app publisher of entertainment products for smartphones and social media networks. With its ability to publish and promote products in multiple languages, Animoca is expanding operations and market share around the world, having passed over 25 million smartphone app downloads after little over half a year of operation. The company has published several popular titles for iOS and Android, including the smash hit Pretty Pet Salon. On Facebook, Animoca products have accrued millions of monthly active users across titles like Who Loves You More, Daily Luck Meter, My Friend Map, and Speed Club. Animoca continues to expand its product pipeline as it pursues its mission to publish compelling and groundbreaking phone apps and social network games. Animoca is a subsidiary of Outblaze Ventures. For more information please visit www.animoca.com.